Non Compos Mentis
by SpaceRanger
Summary: Shepard was amused. Liara was not.


** DISCLAIMER****: **_All of the characters in this fic are not mine. They are the property of BIOWARE. Hope you enjoy! Comments and complaints welcomed! :-)_

** Author's Note****:**_ Warning! Includes one Original Character and Female Shepard Being In Love With Liara T'Soni ahead! If this offends you press the back button now!_

_So again, I hadn't planned on writing this at all. I blame this on reading this prompt: http : / /masseffectkink. livejournal. com / 4037 .html? thread = 11682245 _#t11682245 _(Don't forget to remove the spaces) right after completing 'Marked.' No, you do not need to read that before reading this._

** Non Compos Mentis **

by SpaceRanger

_Tenth Street Reds' Rule Number 3: _

_**Do NOT fuck with Innocents. No Exceptions.**_

* * *

Elnora could only babble pleadingly for her life as the menacing human stained by speckles of asari blood - Elnora's blood - stalked at her, the human's psychotic look enhanced by the glowing red scars and eyes, a smile revealing teeth, and a knife, _**a knife**_ of all things in the maniac's hands.

The haze left by Red Sand seemed to have caused her to piss off the wrong person. She doesn't remember what she did and she probably never will but she promised on anything and everything that mattered that she sure as hell won't do it again as long as this predator not kill her.

She spent two days being haunted by the human without sleep. It's not that she didn't want to, she couldn't. She was never safe and despite the fact that neither slept, each time the human got closer and closer to making sure she stays dead.

_What the Hell is this bitch on?_ Elnora herself's already hit empty but the damn human, though tired, seemed no where near that bottom.

"I want you to cry Elnora, I want you to scream. No one **NO ONE** gets away with screwing over - " A shrill beeping cuts through the clearing and the human scowled as she threw the bleeding and biotic-less asari into a stasis field. The human grumbled as she tinkered with the omnitool and seconds later an image appeared. Elnora could only make out the white and blue back of an asari tapping her foot.

"Liara!" The human exclaimed happily, the psychotic look, the red lines, and the red eyes vanishing in an instant. If she could, Elnora would've openly gapped as the human dropped her knife and sat on her hunches as if she were nothing more than a tamed varren. "Have I told you lately how much I love you Doc?"

"Shepard, that will not work on me! What did I tell you?" The human fucking pouted… _**pouted**_ at the image.

"What. Did. I. Tell. You." The human harrumphed, closed her eyes, and turned her head sideways.

"_**Shepard!**_" The human called Shepard sighed and faced the image, the stupid looking pout still on her face.

"Say it!" Shepard grumbled then unhappily recited,

"Just because I'm marked doesn't mean I'm allowed to go around killing anyone who called or calls Liara T'Soni a pureblood or a pureblood bitch."

"But Liarrraaa… dis bitch's Tela Vasir 'cept, ya naw, 'thout bein' SPEC an beedin' Sand. 'Sides! Gotta rule, no one fucks wi 'cents an-an-an bitch made ya life Hell fer 20 years! 'S Fi-by ta bath in bitch's blood!" Elnora has no idea what the human said beyond the former asari SPECTRE's name, something about a rule and somehow bathing in blood seems to be part of it. It disturbs her that the human was whining like she was about to get her toy taken away.

"NO! No No No! I can't believe you - _**NO! Bad Shepard!**_ You get back home right now! Bad enough you're using the Krogan-Human alliance as an excuse to scheduled an idiotic fistfight with a mercenary-"

"X!" Shepard interrupted and seemed to wilt a few seconds in the pause the followed.

Hell, even she can tell that the asari in the image was killing the human with her glare. Shepard whined again, this time with no words, the look on her face like a guilty child.

"_**IDIOTIC**_ fistfight with an EX-mercenary Krogan. If she's dead and you're not back in 10 standard minutes you can count on me not being there to watch your stupid match and Lieutenant Vega can be your fighting partner."

"Wha? But Liaarrrraaaa…"

"Elnora Not Dead, Back Here 10 Minutes. _**End of Discussion.**_" The image vanished.

"God that woman is _**hot**_ when she's angry. Though I much prefer just having her - Mmmhmmm… " Shepard licked her lips and an aura of confident and commanding dominance settled over the human even as her eyes gazed over.

Without warning, Shepard's entire stance shifted and Elnora found it hard to breath as the human stalks towards her, a menacing wave of promised vengeance beating down on the asari once more.

"You are one _**very**_ lucky asari. You owe Liara your life. But then again, you might hate her for it. I do enjoy making lives miserable." The psychotic grin is back as the human kissed the palm of her hand and blew it at her before vanishing into the shadows. The next thing she knew was a world of pain as something that feels like a fist to the head knocked her out.

A few days later when she finally awakened in a hospital, the first thing Elnora did when she stopped feeling broken and bruised long enough to get out of bed was scramble for a datapad. Several extranet searches later and Elnora was gapping again.

That _**psychotic**_ human was the First Human SPECTRE, Commander Shepard? And the _**bondmate**_ of Liara T'Soni? That _**pathetic pureblood**_ Liara T'Soni?

She remembered all the little pranks and punishment she and the gang she joined - a gang created solely to find creative ways to humiliate the pureblood without calling her a pureblood - had given Liara all throughout school, a lot of which caused physical injury - like twisting wrists right before biotic training. In fact, she had bragged about it to her current gang many times. More searching and she paled as she remembered the human's words to her.

_"You are one _**very**_ lucky asari."_

She was the only one of her gang - both old and new - left alive. Lighting flashed and Elnora screamed at the scarred face grinning at her in the reflection of the datapad.

* * *

Shepard grinned goofily upon seeing, as soon as she woke, Liara staring straight at her. One of Liara's 'eyebrow' facial marking twitched with anger upon seeing the aforementioned goofy grin.

Shepard grimaced upon feeling a slight pain from her injuries as she climbed out of the Geth Pod only to be pulled out the rest of the way by her ear.

"OW-OW-OW-OW-OW-OW Leggggoooooo-" Shepard stumbled mid-yelp, ending up doing a spectacular face plant when the asari finally lets go.

"What the hell were you thinking, Shepard?" Shepard gulped and tried really hard not to run.

_Man Up Shepard, Man Up! And try not to speak like a Red Dammit!_

"It was a good idea at duh time? The Geth agreed wi me."

"The Geth-" Shepard could hear Liara planting a palm to her face. The human took that chance to scramble to a standing position. "Goddess. Shepard, we've talked about this!"

"Well no… not exac'. I had a brilliant idea, you said no, I uh… d't 'sen?" Liara drops her arm to cross them and glares killing daggers at her that triggered Shepard's auto whimper reflex.

"And not listening some how made this-" Liara waves one of her arm to the Geth two pod set up with one of the Geth platforms still plugged into the system with Elnora in the second pod. "Okay?"

Shepard wisely chose to not answer that.

"I can't believe you! Is not risking your life the first time enough? How many times, Shepard? How many times? I thought we were over this! You throw your life away so needlessly-"

"'s NOT dless!" Shepard snapped. She yelped when the asari harshly prodded Shepard's still healing bullet wounds at her chest, two of which had been too close to the human's heart and blue fingers came away with the human's blood.

"Do _**not**_ tell me that when all I can see is you _**bleeding**_!" Liara spun around and made to leave but is stopped when Shepard quickly grabbed the asari's arm.

"Wait!"

"Let. Go. Shepard."

"Liara please… lemme 'spn."

"Explain? _**Explain what**_? That you _**enjoy**_ bleeding? That you _**enjoy**_ overloading your implants? The same implants that's likely the _**only thing**_ keeping you _**alive**_? Or that you _**enjoy**_ clubbing w-w-with death?" Shepard felt her heart squeeze at how broken Liara sounded and the sniffling...

_Oh God I did this… I-_ She turned Liara around and wrapped her in her arms. Frowning unhappily she takes her bondmate's hand and placed it against her head whispering sorrowfully,

"Join with me? Please?" For a few minutes there is silence then to Shepard's relief, Liara sighs,

"Embrace Eternity."

Everything fades away until it is just the two of them within Shepard's mind.

Around them is Liara's memory of Thessia, the worst ones really. But instead of a younger Liara, it is the current one being taunted with an old human woman shakingly reaching out and struggling towards Liara's image.

_"Useless."_

_"Where's your Shepard asari? Oh~ that's right not here."_

_"Ha ha ha!"_

_"Foolish girl, choosing someone like that." _

_"Useless."_

_"Look at the Spectre lying there all pathetic, can't even pick up a gun."_

_"Some Shepard. Don't even know how she managed to earn that name of hers."_

_"Should've just left her. Left her as an Uninitiated haha!"_

_"And when this Useless piece of crap is gone we'll still be here, chipping away and making the rest of your life miserable."_

_"Where's your Red pride now Useless? "_

_"Useless… Useless… Useless… "_

The dream freezes and fades away, leaving them in the darkness.

_"I worry that it's not enough."_ Shepard whispers. _"I want to give you anything and everything you want. But the one thing that I know you want I can't give you."_

_"Liara, I wish… I wish so much that I could but reality is as it is… and I worry. I worry that when I'm… you know… again or worse, old, I'd be nothing more than a burden, a unless burden who can only cause you more pain. So, I figure, while I'm still here and strong enough, I'll do everything I can to give you peace… "_

"_Shepard…._" Shepard's eyes squeezed shut at the trembling in Liara's voice.

"_Gods, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm a jerk, an asshole, and I'm making you cry again._"

"_Yes Shepard, you are._"

"_I'm Sor-_"

"_But… you're forgiven._" Shepard's eyes snapped open to stare at Liara in disbelief.

"_You're an idiot, a sweet idiot but you're forgiven. I don't care about any of that. All I care about - All I _**want**_ is more time with you. Here and now. So… so please, just… just stop doing all this and stop worrying_." Liara laughed softly. "_Well, stop worrying about this anyways._"

"_I'd rather you concentrate on surv- I'd rather you concentrate on the Reapers first so I can have more moments with you to have and hold. But no more trying to kill Reapers on foot by yourself!_" Shepard sheepishly rubbed the back of her "neck" with a smile.

"_No promises but alright Love… Alright…_"

"_And Shepard? I'm sorry too._" Shepard dropped her arm back to her side as she tilted her head, puzzled.

"_For what? You didn't do anything wrong._"

"_For giving you the 'lifespan talk'-_" Shepard bursted out laughing at the little dig on the scene Liara had seen in the human's memories. "_-and well… for making your wounds worse._"

"_You're forgiven on the 'Life-_" Shepard laughed again. "_'Lifespan talk' T'Soni_."

"_As for the wounds? Nah, nothing to forgive there. You were just trying to make a point, Love. Though hopefully next time it'll involve less pain before it registers to my brain. Got clocked on the head too many times as a kid and running with the Reds didn't help._" Liara laughed.

"_Just say it, Shepard. It'll make me feel better._" Shepard shrugs her "shoulders".

"_Okay, I forgive you._" The love and the smile Liara gifts her with as they exited Shepard's mind is brilliant and radiant, taking Shepard's breath away.

_Gods I love this woman._

Liara tried to stepped back out of the embrace but Shepard doesn't let her. The fading connection that still lingering allowed Shepard to feel Liara's surprise when their lips met. A surprise followed by the return of love. Shepard reluctantly breaks the kiss a few minutes later but she does not let go. Instead, she rests her forehead against Liara's as she whispers,

"I love you, Liara T'Soni."

"I love you too, Shepard."

"And T'Soni?"

"Hmm?"

"It's Dance with Death not Clubbing with Death."

Silence.

Shepard yelps in pain when Liara sends a biotic zap to Shepard's posterior for ruining the mood.

A few days later Elnora died of a heart attack from the combination of the cumulation of too much Red Sand and Shepard forgetting that she was cloaked when she entered the bully/Eclipse Merc's hospital room to apologize.

Shepard was amused. Liara was not.

* * *

_A/N: I did say my next story (this one) should be humorous._

_A/N2: I'm of the opinion that asari "Joinings" are more images than actual conveying of "mind voice" but Liara's gift in ME3 somewhat proved me wrong so I guess we'll just go with this._

___A/N3: In case anyone's curious, "non compose mantis" means "not sane or not in one's right mind."_


End file.
